Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy pre-empted me well but, in fairness, I did accept a good number of his amendments already and I thank him for acknowledging it.

Government pay policy is the responsibility of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, who is best placed to establish remuneration rates for board members. This applies across all boards appointed by the Public Appointments Service. Section 21(1) of the National Shared Services Office Bill provides that "[a] member of the Board may be paid such remuneration (if any) and allowances for expenses (if any) incurred by him or her as the Minister may determine". Furthermore, section 17(8) provides, in respect of the chief executive reporting to the committee, that "[i]n the performance of his or her duties under this section, the chief executive shall not question or express an opinion on the merits of any policy of the Government or a Minister of the Government or on the merits of the objectives of such a policy".

Generally speaking, remuneration for board members forms part of the wider Government public service pay policy and is set in the context of the relative qualifications, duties and responsibilities of board members as they apply across the public service. The biggest concern is precedent, which the Deputy referred to and to which I referred on Committee Stage as well, and where it would stop in respect of other bodies and whether the remuneration of the board members of every public board and body would be established by the sectoral committees within the Houses of the Oireachtas. While accepting the principle of what the Deputy is suggesting and that the oversight is well-intentioned, I think it would grind the Oireachtas committee system to a halt. The committee would not be best placed to singularly consider and review, in isolation from wider Government policy and practice, the remuneration rates established by the Minister for a particular body, as proposed. It is on this basis that I cannot accept the amendment.

See this speech in context